China sends 4th Chinese Military Medical Expert Group to Sierra Leone in June 2019

In June 2019, the fourth Chinese Military Medical Expert Group (CNMEG) arrived in Sierra Leone. The medical team was made up of 12 experts, led by Dr. Zhao Guangyu and Zheng Junjie, and was based out of the Wilberforce Army Barracks in Freetown. They were tasked with performing laboratory testing and case management for malaria, typhoid fever, HIV and AIDS, hepatitis B, and other infectious diseases. The team's efforts were refocused to the control of COVID-19 after the onset of the pandemic. On June 27, 2019, the team's arrival was commemorated at the 2019 China-Sierra Leone Public Health Cooperation Reception, which was hosted by the Chinese Embassy. On September 15, 2020, their departure was marked by a ceremony held by the Chinese Embassy in Sierra Leone at the Freetown International Conference Center, Bintumani Hotel. Present among the invited guests were Minister of Defense and National Coordinator for COVID-19 Response Brig. (Rtd.) Kellie Conteh, Minister of Health and Sanitation Alpha Wurie, and Country Representative for the World Food Program Housainou Taal. The team was originally scheduled to depart in June of 2020, but their stay in Sierra Leone was extended so that they could support the country's efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. Since its arrival in July 2019, the medical team, which comprises 12 medical experts, has also been doing laboratory tests and case management of various diseases like malaria, typhoid fever, HIV and AIDS, hepatitis B, and other related cases.

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